Tracy W. Krohn
Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Tracy W. Krohn has served as Chief Executive Officer since he founded the Company in 1983 and as Chairman of the Board since 2004. He has also served in various other roles during his time with the Company, including as Treasurer from 1997 until 2006, and as President from its founding until September 2008 and again from March 2017 to present day. During 1996 to 1997, Mr. Krohn was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aviara Energy Corporation. Mr. Krohn has been actively involved in the oil and gas business since graduating with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University in 1978. He began his career as a petroleum engineer and offshore drilling supervisor with Mobil Oil Corporation. Prior to founding the Company, from 1981 to 1983, Mr. Krohn was Senior Engineer with Taylor Energy Company. In 2013, Mr. Krohn was appointed to serve on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute.
William J. Williford
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
William J. Williford joined the Company in 2006 and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2022. Since joining the Company in 2006, he has served as Reservoir Engineer, Exploration Project Manager, General Manager Deepwater of Gulf of Mexico, Vice President and General Manager of Gulf of Mexico Shelf and Deepwater, and most recently, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Williford has over 25 years of oil and gas technical experience with large independents in the Gulf of Mexico and Domestic Onshore. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Williford held positions in reservoir, production, operations and strategic planning at Kerr-McGee and Oryx Energy. Mr. Williford earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Mississippi State University.
Sameer Parasnis
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Sameer Parasnis joined the Company in July of 2023. Mr. Parasnis has 25 years of financial and operational experience, of which 20 have been in banking. He has advised companies in the Oil & Gas and Energy Transition industry on equity capital markets, debt capital markets and strategic M&A. Prior to joining W&T, Mr. Parasnis served as Managing Director of Stifel’s Energy and Natural Resources team in Houston, from August 2016 until May 2019. In July 2019, Mr. Parasnis joined Texas Pacific Land Trust, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer until June 2020. In August 2020, Mr. Parasnis rejoined Stifel, serving again as Managing Director until his departure from Stifel to the Company. Mr. Parasnis started his investment banking career at Credit Suisse. He began his career as a chemical engineer at Reliance Industries Ltd. in 1996 and subsequently transitioned to finance with Citigroup. Mr. Parasnis is a graduate of the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, India. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Finance from the London Business School.
George J. Hittner
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
George J. Hittner joined the Company in September of 2024. Mr. Hittner has over 25 years of legal, corporate and legislative experience in both the public and private sectors. Before founding his own law firm in 2017, Mr. Hittner worked as general counsel, corporate secretary, and senior vice president for governmental relations at American Traffic Solutions (now Verra Mobility Corporation). Mr. Hittner has also worked as a White House appointee at both the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Transportation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hittner worked in the Houston office of Haynes and Boone where his focus was business litigation and employment and labor law. Mr. Hittner received a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University, a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law, a Master of Public Affairs from The University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Virginia Darden School of Business.